Wiicast: Episode 30

A review of Sonic and the Secret Rings, A preview of MySims, Some Paper Mario info, and much more!

Impressions: Sonic and the Secret Rings

I’m slowly working my way through Sonic and the Secret Rings so I thought I’d give you some impressions before I review the game in this week’s episode of The Wiicast. let me start by saying that this is NOT a game for the easily frustrated…really. SatSR has some incredibly hard segments that will have you throwing your controller across the room repeatedly. This however, is not unnecessarily a bad thing, it makes for some truly old school sonic action (which is what the series has been lacking recently). In the later levels, the game runs REALLY fast and the visuals are continually impressive. Tons of dynamic lighting and bright colors envelope Sonic’s latest adventure, truly making use of the Wii’s hardware capabilities. It’s games like sonic that feel like nothing else on Wii, while the ports are sure to be mild entertainment, original software will always be the Wii’s strong point.
The game, sadly, is not without it’s [gaping] flaws. camera issues abound alongside some surprisingly lazy level design. Some skills you pick up are really things that should be given to you right from the outset, for instance an ability that “makes moving left and right easier”. Control is an issue, while most of the time the game controls really well, there are definitely times where the control suffers from the static camera angles. This is a solid game, and yeah I’ll say it: This very well may be the best sonic game in the last five years. Look for a full review in this week’s episode of The Wiicast.

The Wiicast: Reboot

The Wiicast is now an official content partner with Gametrailers.com/MTV networks!

What does this mean?

Episodes of the wiicast will be exclusive to Gametrailers.com and www.thewiicast.com. Now that we’ve partnered with GT you’ll be able to enjoy the wiicast in high quality and as a Quicktime file or WMV file. The wiicast has been going strong for the last year and I’m stoked about this partnership. Thanks to the support of all of you, the wiicast will remain awesome. So, keep participating, complaining, and suggesting! once again thanks for all your support!

Oh and without further ado…

Wii Play: "Hey, at least it comes with a remote!"

Today I ventured out to see if I could find a copy of Wii Play. Having heard all the preorder horror stories revolving around this game, I wasn’t really expecting to find it. By the time I got out of the house, gamestop had already closed (I’m a night owl) so I headed to the local 24hr Wallyworld (that’s Walmart for those of you not in the know) and lo and behold, they had a stockpile of Wii Play: INCLUDES REMOTE! Okay, maybe not a stockpile…but at least 20 copies. So I purchased one like a good little consumer (along with a couple of DVDs) and i was on my way home.
Once at home I popped the disk into my Wii, placing the “Free” remote aside for later. I was immediatly struck by how similar the setup is to Wii Sports. There are 9 games in total, most of them very un-fun. When you start the game, you are required to play all of the events in order, you are not allowed to pick an event to play unless you have completed the one before it. It took me about 20min to play through the events solo. I’ll break down all the events (in order) and give you the pros and cons:

Shooting Gallery
Basically a simplified “Duck Hunt” but without the wise cracking mutt. This game has the player shooting at targets, balloons, discs, and ducks. Some things give you bonus points when you hit them, others (like targets with you face on them) take points away. It’s fun for a little while solo, but much better with multiple people.

Find Mii
The object of this game is to look at a group of Miis and pick out the matching pair or the odd man out.

Table Tennis
Oh man is this game BORING. basically all you do is move the remote to the left and to the right and try to volley the ball as many times as you can. That’s it. The suggested number of volleys to complete is 100…like I’m sticking around to see that happen…

Pose Mii
Okay I actually did have a bit of fun with this game. The object is to pose your Mii and rotate them to fit inside these bubbles that are falling. In the later levels the game has you switching poses on the fly very quickly. If a bubble hits the bottom of the screen and pops, you lose. It’s pretty enjoyable, but not for the easily frustrated.

Laser Hockey
Have you ever played Pong? Did you like it? If so, you’ll love Laser Hockey. it’s a classic pong-type game but you’re free to move your paddle over an entire half of the board. you can also twist your paddle to make more complicated shots.

Nine Ball
Easily the best game out of the bunch. It’s a game of 9 ball where you move the Wii controller backward and forwards mimicking a pool cue. There actually a lot of depth to the game. However, 9 ball is the only option, theres no traditional 8 ball mode.

Fishing
Move your controller in a 3D space and catch paper fish! Yay! When the fish nipple flick the remote up to hook ‘em! Oh brother.

Cow Racing
Cow racing is pretty cool. You hold the remote in the “classic” position (on it’s side) and tilt left and right to steer….get it, steer? oh, never mind. you accelerate by rolling the controller forward and jump by flicking it upwards. The object of this game is to complete the course and amass points for jumping hurdles and knocking over lines of scarecrows.

Tanks
They only game in the collection that uses the Nunchuck (although you can play with JUST the remote alone also). Pilot a Tank and shoot at other people in little tanks. You can also drop mines. This game is HORRIBLE alone, it’s 100 times better with a friend.

So now we ask the question: Is this a game with a free remote? or Is this a remote with a free “game”? My answer is to neither of those questions. Wii Play is a great way to introduce people gradually to the Wii Remote, that’s certain. Personally I think this could have been included at launch either as a Pack In or as a preloaded channel in the Wii Menu. If you can’t find a controller, there’s no reason to not pick up this game. If, by now, you already have a few controllers and are comfortable using them, I’d say skip this one for now…it’ll be in the bargain bin soon enough. One last note…the Mii’s in this game have hands…A preview of things to come?

Score:
10/53

Wii Play: "Hey, at least it comes with a remote!"

Today I ventured out to see if I could find a copy of Wii Play. Having heard all the preorder horror stories revolving around this game, I wasn’t really expecting to find it. By the time I got out of the house, gamestop had already closed (I’m a night owl) so I headed to the local 24hr Wallyworld (that’s Walmart for those of you not in the know) and lo and behold, they had a stockpile of Wii Play: INCLUDES REMOTE! Okay, maybe not a stockpile…but at least 20 copies. So I purchased one like a good little consumer (along with a couple of DVDs) and i was on my way home.
Once at home I popped the disk into my Wii, placing the “Free” remote aside for later. I was immediatly struck by how similar the setup is to Wii Sports. There are 9 games in total, most of them very un-fun. When you start the game, you are required to play all of the events in order, you are not allowed to pick an event to play unless you have completed the one before it. It took me about 20min to play through the events solo. I’ll break down all the events (in order) and give you the pros and cons:

Shooting Gallery
Basically a simplified “Duck Hunt” but without the wise cracking mutt. This game has the player shooting at targets, balloons, discs, and ducks. Some things give you bonus points when you hit them, others (like targets with you face on them) take points away. It’s fun for a little while solo, but much better with multiple people.

Find Mii
The object of this game is to look at a group of Miis and pick out the matching pair or the odd man out.

Table Tennis
Oh man is this game BORING. basically all you do is move the remote to the left and to the right and try to volley the ball as many times as you can. That’s it. The suggested number of volleys to complete is 100…like I’m sticking around to see that happen…

Pose Mii
Okay I actually did have a bit of fun with this game. The object is to pose your Mii and rotate them to fit inside these bubbles that are falling. In the later levels the game has you switching poses on the fly very quickly. If a bubble hits the bottom of the screen and pops, you lose. It’s pretty enjoyable, but not for the easily frustrated.

Laser Hockey
Have you ever played Pong? Did you like it? If so, you’ll love Laser Hockey. it’s a classic pong-type game but you’re free to move your paddle over an entire half of the board. you can also twist your paddle to make more complicated shots.

Nine Ball
Easily the best game out of the bunch. It’s a game of 9 ball where you move the Wii controller backward and forwards mimicking a pool cue. There actually a lot of depth to the game. However, 9 ball is the only option, theres no traditional 8 ball mode.

Fishing
Move your controller in a 3D space and catch paper fish! Yay! When the fish nipple flick the remote up to hook ‘em! Oh brother.

Cow Racing
Cow racing is pretty cool. You hold the remote in the “classic” position (on it’s side) and tilt left and right to steer….get it, steer? oh, never mind. you accelerate by rolling the controller forward and jump by flicking it upwards. The object of this game is to complete the course and amass points for jumping hurdles and knocking over lines of scarecrows.

Tanks
They only game in the collection that uses the Nunchuck (although you can play with JUST the remote alone also). Pilot a Tank and shoot at other people in little tanks. You can also drop mines. This game is HORRIBLE alone, it’s 100 times better with a friend.

So now we ask the question: Is this a game with a free remote? or Is this a remote with a free “game”? My answer is to neither of those questions. Wii Play is a great way to introduce people gradually to the Wii Remote, that’s certain. Personally I think this could have been included at launch either as a Pack In or as a preloaded channel in the Wii Menu. If you can’t find a controller, there’s no reason to not pick up this game. If, by now, you already have a few controllers and are comfortable using them, I’d say skip this one for now…it’ll be in the bargain bin soon enough. One last note…the Mii’s in this game have hands…A preview of things to come?

Score:
10/53

Wiicast: Episode 26

A new look for the Wiicast!
Dewy’s Adventure,
Manhunt2
Rampage Review
VC:POTW

Enjoy!

NEW! "Everybody Votes" Channel

Nintendo quietly released the first original program for the Virtual console today. It’s called “Everybody Votes” and it’s a Polling program using Miis. Questions are separated by “Region” and “Worldwide” polls. The program allows you to vote, as well as perdict the popular answer. There’s even an option to suggest questions for future polls. Although small, it’s a great example of what Wiiconnect24 is capable of.

NEW! "Everybody Votes" Channel

Nintendo quietly released the first original program for the Virtual console today. It’s called “Everybody Votes” and it’s a Polling program using Miis. Questions are separated by “Region” and “Worldwide” polls. The program allows you to vote, as well as perdict the popular answer. There’s even an option to suggest questions for future polls. Although small, it’s a great example of what Wiiconnect24 is capable of.

DDR: Hottest Party Video

I like to move it, Move it!

DDR: Hottest Party Screens and Info/Hands on Preview

Some Info:

Konami announces DDR: Hottest Party for Nintendo Wii. Details within.

Konami today announced that it is bringing a new edition of its popular Dance Dance Revolution franchise to Nintendo’s new-generation console, Wii. The game is called Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party and uses the Wii-mote, making it totally unique amongst the many DDR games in the last ten years.

Like traditional DDR games, Hottest Party requires that players coordinate with on-screen arrows, tapping each arrow on their dance pad with their feet. In addition to this traditional theme, Konami’s debut Wii DDR title also employs use of the Wii-mote, requiring gamers to wave the controller at precise moments.

The game will also ship with a number of new modes, including Friendly Synch multiplayer mode, where two players are challenged to dance and wave the Wii-mote in perfect unison. There is also Battle Mode, where gamers will not only compete with each other but also use the Wii remote to obstruct each other. Cooperative play is also included, along with returning modes Free Play and Workout Mode.

Hottest Party features a soundtrack sporting top-charting hits from a variety of genres over the last four decades.

For more information on DDR: Hottest party, click here, and check out our hands-on preview with the title.

HANDS ON PREVIEW

by: Ray Almeda

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more crazier.
Just when everyone thought that new DDR games signaled for newer mixes, songs, and steps, Konami announces Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party, an intriguingly different game exclusively for Nintendo’s Wii.

DDR: Hottest Party includes some interesting gameplay options such as four-player multiplayer with great total body interaction, but thanks to the Wii’s free-motion controls, the game implements Wii Remote and Nunchuck movement. The game keeps its dance mat intact, but with the addition of the Wii’s controller scheme, arm movement will also be needed simultaneously. These new movements are indicated by two, flashing straight-lines that float up to the familiar directional (feet) arrows. For instance, if the arm-movement indicators show up under the right-directional arrow, you’ll need to point the Wii remote and nunchuck to your right. This new element also allows you to send obstructions to your opponents in competition mode. All in all, the combination brings total-body interaction with the game, while satisfying hardcore fans with a whole new dimension.

There’s a few more enhancements and mini-games as well, most of which Konami promises to be “truly different.” These modes, including Friendly Synch and Kind Support Mode, should enliven the title’s already obvious cooperation and competition themes. The multiplayer mini-games heavily favor the simultaneous play option, which should be a crazy [and expensive] opportunity. And of course, the all-new soundtrack will include licensed smash-hits from the last 4 decades, like Jamiroqui and Depeche Mode.

Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party is due out in 2007.

Well here’s hoping we get a witeless dance mat!

LINK